Public invited to school system's ESL Day April 29

Wayne County Public Schools will host its biennial K-12 Second Language/ESL Performance Competition on Wednesday at Goldsboro High School from 8:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. The public is invited.

More than 500 students, grades K-12, will display their mastery of Spanish, French and English languages and cultures, officials said.

The district has held this competition for more than a decade, and is the only known school system in the state to feature the event. Administrators say it promotes and enhances the county's second-language program.

"Many of the students have been preparing for this event since last fall. Audience members will be impressed at the language proficiency of our participating students," said Hope Meyerhoeffer, director of second language and the English-as-a-second-language (ESL) program.

Twenty-nine schools plan to participate, with students judged in four categories: poetry recitation, musical presentation, dramatic skit and native dance.